Sleepwalking...?

Shaun (Simon Pegg) gloriously oblivious to the
catastrophe unfolding around him
[Universal Pictures 2004]

I have a guilty secret. I like zombies. Well, not so much the things themselves, but I have a modest collection of films, books and comic books all set on a post-apocalyptic earth where humans (the living ones) face a breakdown of all the systems they have previous relied on, fighting a daily battle for survival. 

There is something reassuringly formulaic about the genre. Most zombie stories start before things go so catastrophically wrong. The zombie-spoof movie "Shaun of the Dead" opens with the hero waking up, and sleepily stumbling his way to the electrical goods store where he works. All is normal it appears, and people are going about their lives. Yet every radio he passes, every TV in the shop, and every newspaper hoarding outside each shop is carrying a news story about the spread of a mysterious new virus. Yet it is never more than background chatter to Shaun, and he (along with everyone else) is unaware of the significance of the reports, and oblivious to the news as he sleepwalks towards his new destiny... 

Sometimes I feel a little like Shaun, stumbling through day-to-day living while seemingly every news bulletin carries a story - often lower down the news order - about some new disturbance in the national or global economic markets. Greek elections fail to secure a government that will see through austerity measures... Spanish banks may require a bailout... UK manufacturing index falls... billions wiped of global markets as US recovery stalls... all stories from the past few weeks that could be pointing to a wider storm that threatens to undermine the security we have all taken for granted, and to be propelling us to a harsher new world. 

Locals queue at a soup kitchen in Athens
[Guardian Newspaper Group, 2012]

Two years ago, my partner Jenny and I went to Athens for her birthday. It was a busy, bustling and glamorous city. The food and drink in the elegant bars and bistros were expensive, and designer outlets for every major western fashion house stood on every major street. Now the images coming out of Athens are of food banks, soup kitchens, riots and social upheaval. In April, a 77 year-old man committed suicide, shooting himself outside the Greek Parliament because, his note revealed, his dignity would not allow him to "search the garbage for food."

Greece still maybe feels a little distant from us, so Shaun-like we stumble on, the news of social unrest in Athens remains background noise. It couldn't happen here, could it? Maybe we sit up a little more when Spain is mentioned - after all, we have heard of Santander Bank. Still, it's the Eurozone. "Thank God we didn't join," we think, and go back to our cornflakes.

The present government came into power likening the UK deficit to a household budget that had been left vulnerable by too much spending on the family credit cards. After the harshest budget in a generation in June 2010, George Osborne "hit back at accusations that his spending cuts will plunge the economy into another recession" saying that he had "no choice" but to cut, and that  "...we are shaping the economy of the future by promoting a pro-growth agenda."

Spain next?

Less than two years on, the then-feted "Plan A" has failed. The UK is back in recession. Manufacturing is in free-fall. Greece may have this weekend seen the very close election of the pro-bailout New democracy Party to form a new coalition, but after initial relief, most observers feel even this step is still simply delaying the advance of the Eurozone "virus". How long the Greek people will stomach the levels of austerity demanded of them is anyone's guess, and prolonged and sustained social unrest could well bring any newly-formed government down quickly. Other economists say Greece is a mere sideshow, and the real threat is Spain's banks falling. Today, interest on Spanish government bonds exceeded 7% - above the "danger levels" that indicate a banking system in profound peril. The collapse of a Spanish bank would have global consequences, as the collapse of the Lehman Brothers Bank did in 2008.


And here's the point. This is a global economic market. Likening the economy of UK Plc to a household budget of overspent credit cards, storecards and overdrafts is crass, and simplistic. However, it provides a useful scare story if your true intention as a government is to promote cuts and austerity as the necessary "medicine" to get things right again, while pursuing a more ideological agenda of shrinking the state and public sector, and out-sourcing to the private corporations that fund your party. In a global economy, my spending is your income; and your spending mine. If we both simultaneously cut our spending, you become deprived of income, and so do I. The debt looks scarier when faced with this reduced income, so in panic we cut still deeper... You see the problem. The lesson of every good zombie story is that no one survives by simply barricading themselves in and seeing their resources deplete. They survive through co-operation, communication, and trading. 

Ed Balls has overtaken Osborne as most voters' preferred Chancellor
to handle the UK economy

The solution to the economic crisis is not more austerity. It is not working, and it will not work. The solution is to increase investment in the programmes and projects that will create social infrastructure, that will support growth, that will provide jobs to give nervous households greater income. As these businesses and households feel more hop and less fear, they will begin to spend and invest again themselves, and the ever-decreasing circle of austerity is reversed as once again my spending provides you with an income, and your spending provides for me. In France, the people have chosen a government with such a policy; and in the UK people are increasingly supporting Labour. Last week, for the first time, opinion polls started to show that most voters trust Ed Balls, not George Osborne, with our stuttering economy. 


The people of Greece are facing desperate times. Spain may soon follow. In the UK we still have choice - do not let the Tories tell you otherwise. There is a way to deliver growth and jobs, and Labour is arguing hard to see it made policy.  If you agree with us, join us

All different, all equal

It was so good to see Exeter's Respect festival even bigger and better yesterday, with well over 10,000 attending in a single day (and hopefully even more of the same today!) Exeter Respect is Exeter's largest annual cultural event, and celebrates our community in all its diversity, to increase awareness and understanding, and to challenge ignorance and prejudice.

Unplugged and colourful in the acoustic tent

Although Exeter has a non-white ethnic population of just 2.4% (according to the 2001 census) compared to an England & Wales average of 9.1%, the city nonetheless has significant communities of people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern heritage. There are also significant numbers of people who are living and working here from Poland, Russia, Bulgaria and other Eastern European nations. 2.6% of our population who have a faith, describe themselves as "non-Christian", while 20.5% of us have "no religion." The city is fortunate to have a vibrant multi-cultural University that does so much to promote learning between people of different backgrounds, and the city's sizeable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community contribute enormously to the city's economic, cultural and political life - including a strong annual Exeter Pride event.

One of the reasons I am most proud to live in Exeter, is that it is a city of tolerance and understanding, with a rich cultural scene that regularly showcases and celebrates arts, food and cultural life that orginates in - or is influenced by - other countries, races or communities. Organisations that would seek to divide us tend not to fare too well in our city, and I have happy memories of the day that Exeter's people - Christians, Jews and Muslims; trades unionists and students; men, women and children, turned out in numbers to embarrass a tiny cohort of EDL demonstrators. Exeter Respect is an extension of that spirit, and is a free, two-day festival held in Belmont Park to revel in the diversity of our city and to enjoy the added depth that this diversity brings. The strap line "All Different - All Equal" sums up the values of the weekend. 

To die for! A Hindu hearse at Respect.

Walking into the park, your senses are immediately engaged by a gamut of colours, noises, rhythms, smells, song, chatter and laughter. Aromas of the many foods on sale got my stomach rumbling almost immediately: Thai, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Eastern European, Mediterranean... Vegan, Vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free, kosher and halal (and even burgers and pizzas!) For those curious about faith and spirituality, there were colourful stalls staffed by adherents to Islam, Hinduism, Bah'ai, several strands of the Christian faith, spiritual healing, meditation, and shamanism. For those with little time for such ethereal pursuits, there was always the Devon Humanists' stand. Music catered for (almost) all tastes: acoustic to hip hop, folk to Samba, reggae, rock and roots; and the small craft and fashion stalls and other little retail outlets included everything from incense sticks to magic sticks, jewellery to massage oils, books, beads and banners. 

Part of the effective Amnesty display

Exeter Respect is a lot of fun - and there was a real party atmosphere throughout. The police were present (in fact they had a display) yet there presence was extremely low-key, and although well in excess of 10,000 people attended, I didn't see any trouble at all, nor did it look like there might be any. Maybe that is because Respect is a celebration of values - tolerance, understanding, peacefulness and, well, respect. Respect for the essential common value we all place on humanity - we may all be different, but we are all equal; no matter our nationality, our ethnicity, our (dis)ability, our sexuality, gender, and faith (or absence of faith.) So the festival also hosts organisations that have values that resonate with those of the festival itself - the Cooperative movement, trades unions, environmental and social campaigning organisations - all of them organisations that seek to celebrate common humanity, and that believe, as I do,  that communities like ours in Exeter are better when we come together, rather than when we allow prejudice, fear and ignorance to divide us. 

Cllr Roger Spackman, me & Jenny, Cllr Greg Sheldon &
Cllr Phil Bialyk

Week one!

The new picnic (feasting?!) table at Arena Park

It's been a funny old week. On the one hand, a lot has happened - or at least there has been a lot of activity - on the other, no "proper" meetings have started at the Council yet. Last weekend I spent time with the family, and sleeping a lot, to get over the exhaustion of the campaign. That said, I still stopped by the family fun day at a rather blustery Arena Park with my partner, Jenny, and Cllr Moira MacDonald where the new outdoor sports cage and the stunning new picnic tables (courtesy of Carving Communities) were unveiled. I was quickly put to work by David & Cathy Coles who were telling me about the area's community composting scheme. The estate has two large composting bins, but as we enter grass-cutting season, these are insufficient, leading to people simply scattering their cuttings on verges and in hedges, which in turn leads to rancid odours as the vegetation rots openly. I am now working with the County Council trying to find a way to secure two more bins for the area.

Best thing I've seen at the Bike Shed Theatre
this year... and that includes a hustings!

On Monday night, Jenny and I went to see the Exeter Blitz Project at the Bike Shed Theatre. If you haven't seen it, it is on until 19th May and really is excellent - please do go and watch and support this important local work. The production is based on interviews with survivors of the blitz attacks on Exeter in 1942, and the excellent characterisations really brought home the impact of the war on ordinary civilian households. It is also hugely interesting to hear how those bombing raids have shaped the modern face of the city - and as I was to learn later in the week, also shaped the economics. Large areas of Sidwell Street and Newtown, South Street and Fore Street were badly bombed. These areas were subsequently rebuilt by the City Council, and the council retains the freehold on the sites, deriving a healthy rental income from the city centre businesses that now occupy them.

Dodgy Council photo!

After the Bank Holiday, on Tuesday I went in to meet some of the Member Services team - the team from Exeter City Council that help support councillors' work, and arranges and offers administrative support to the Council's committees. The days immediately post-election are a busy time for this department as new councillors need setting up with I.T. and new email accounts,   security badges, parking permits, web pages and organising councillor inductions and training. However, the team were very welcoming, and after I signed my declaration and submitted my various forms, we chatted about the role of councillors in Exeter, and how best we as elected representatives could work together with officers for the best outcomes for the city. It was a very positive meeting... except the quality of my now "official" Council photo on my profile page!

Tuesday evening was great. Exeter Labour HQ in Clifton Hill was buzzing with 24 Labour Councillors, 5 of us newly-elected. This was the meeting to sort out who would serve on which committees, who would hold which portfolios, and who would hold which offices within the local Labour Group for the next civic year. The results of the meeting (and all appointments) will become public after tomorrow's (15th May) Full Council meeting...

Looking forward to working with Sarah Ward
again... a fellow refugee from W&PBC!

On Thursday, 5 new Labour councillors, plus Pennsylvania's new Tory councillor, Jake Donovan, attended an introductory meeting with the Exeter City Council Directorate team - Philip Bostock, the Chief Exec; with Karime Hassan and Mark Parkinson as strategic Directors. It was good to hear some of the things from Council officers that we had been saying on the doors just weeks before: Exeter is "bucking the trend" as far as the national economy is concerned, and is growing, attracting business growth and start-up investment. Furthermore, Exeter has the lowest district Council tax in Devon, and the 5th lowest in the country. Real value for money for local tax payers! I was also pleased to be hearing that I will soon be joined at Exeter City Council by another refugee from the shared-services Councils of Weymouth & West Dorset as Sarah Ward, a very able Housing Manager joins ECC as Assistant Director for Housing. Sarah is a very able manager, and I look forward to working with her on Exeter's significant housing challenges, but also I hope she embrace our enthusiasm for new housing solutions, including co-operative models of housing for the city. 

Pinhoe Pantomime - one of the highlights of America
Hall's year, every year.

Finally for now, it was a privilege to be approached by Angela Roberts, Hon Sec of the America Hall committee to be asked if I would join the committee. America Hall is a valuable community facility and hub in Pinhoe, but like any community venue, it needs to have one eye on its own future survival. I know that community resources like that are more often than not kept alive by the hard work and dedication of a few community activists, and I look forward to joining them at their AGM on 31st May. If you would like to get involved in helping this great project why not drop Angela a line at secretary@americahall.co.uk? 

So now what...?

Early tension at the count soon eased as it was clear this
was Exeter Labour's night

As the dust settles on the stunning Labour results in last Thursday's elections, I have been catching up on sleep, and spending some time with the family after months of hard campaigning. I have been grateful for the many messages of congratulations I have received on the street and by emails and Twitter. However, my favorite was a message from my new friend John Maclean. John is a former serviceman, a successful businessman, and a former Lib Dem Councillor and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. He is a straight-talking, no-nonsense Scot, and has no party allegiance any more. Like many, he has become deeply sceptical about party politics, but he has nonetheless been very supportive of my campaign after I got to know his son, Steven, who is a "free journalist" and activist. In the early hours of Friday morning he sent me this Tweet:

I could almost hear him say it!

What we know about the result in Pinhoe is that while turnout in the ward overall was the highest in the city at 43.34%, turnout in the more "traditional" Labour polling districts of Whipton village and Arena Park were significantly lower, in the mid-twenties. Given that Labour had a frankly startling majority of 280 something significant has happened in Pinhoe. It's not the UKIP effect either - even if you add the Tory & UKIP votes together Labour still would have won in Pinhoe. The only explanation is that there were a lot of people in the traditionally Conservative-voting Pinhoe village  and White City areas voted for Labour, and for me. People who would normally vote Conservative are instead trusting me to represent them. Some people who would normally vote Labour, chose to stay home and not vote at all. Yet also people like John, who view all politicians with a healthy degree of cynicism, actively supported my campaign. 

John is right - it is now time to get working. I want to show those that voted Labour against their natural voting instincts that their trust in me and in Exeter Labour was not misplaced. I want to show the voters of Whipton village and Arena Park that their voice does matter, it is worth voting, and that Exeter Labour councillors are working for and with them to improve our communities. I want to show John, and the many people like him, that not all politicians are self-serving and that the best politicians can be community activists too. 

Cllr Dawson, one of our colleagues from
neighbouring Mincinglake ward

This week I shall be inducted into Exeter City Council life and find out what committees I will serve on and any specific responsibilities I will carry, but already I have been talking to my colleagues about how we can work better for those we represent. Cllr Catherine Dawson, from our neighbouring Mincinglake ward, wasted no time in suggesting that all the Labour councillors for Pinhoe & Mincinglake get together monthly with our County Councillor Saxon Spence to take a joined-up approach to tackling issues in the area - an idea that was embraced by all of us. We acknowledge that many of our communities "straddle" the somewhat artificial boundaries of the city's political wards, so by working together we will be able to achieve far more.

I have committed to having a dedicated website where residents can report issues to me, and to be able to see openly what action I am taking to resolve it. I will continue to use social media as a quick and convenient way to communicate, but will also be available in person at surgeries to talk. I intend to alternate surgeries between the Pinhoe "end" of the ward, and the Whipton "end", and will suggest to my colleagues street surgeries at Pinhoe shops and Whipton shops so people can informally tell us about what matters to them.

Communities working together can achieve amazing things,
like this picnic bench at Arena Park

I am very proud that Pinhoe had the highest turnout in the city, almost double that of some wards. I believe it is not politicians’ jobs to “fix” things for communities, but rather to work with communities to improve and develop them, and I am delighted that the Pinhoe ward has so many people who are active already. So I shall be particularly pleased to hear from you with your ideas and to hear about your projects, and if you would like to make a difference within Exeter Labour Party itself, why not consider joining us? See  http://www.exeter-labour.org.uk/ for more details, or call the office on 01392 275004.

Thank you

I have a definite case of the "morning after the night before", so forgive any incoherence or spelling / grammatical errors! But what a night it was. Exeter Labour had gone into these elections hoping that we could pick up the two additional seats we needed to take overall control of the city council. The two seats we had identified as the most likely targets had been Alphington and St James - anything else (including Pinhoe) would have been a bonus.

In the event, Labour won 5 seats in the city. St James and Alphington were won comfortably by Keith Owen and Rob Crew respectively, but there was also a surprise win in St David's for Sarah Laws who unseated long-serving Lib Dem Councillor Philip Brock. In Polsloe, Rachel Lyons achieved something of a "decapitation", by unseating the Tory Deputy Leader, Councillor James Taghdissian. And then there was Pinhoe.

At 10pm last night, we could have done no more, the team had given everything. Months of campaigning, canvassing, delivering leaflets, and phoning, and then yesterday's frenetic activities and last minute "knocking-up" (nagging and dragging every last voter we could to the polling stations) ended as polls closed at 10pm. On the surface of it, things did not look good. Turnout, it seemed, was particularly poor in our "core areas" of the Summerway estate and Arena Park. Turnout was markedly higher in the polling stations of the Hall Church in Pinhoe village and Pinhoe School - traditionally areas where the Conservative vote is stronger. The mood in our Committee Room was sober. We all knew how much every member of the team had put into this campaign, yet the indicators were not great. I was exhausted and convinced we had not made it, but Jenny took me home to get changed, and we headed to the count at the Corn Exchange.

Cllr Ian Martin, who had earlier looked quite grim-faced, came to find me in the bar of the Corn Exchange. "It's not looking too bad for you," he said. Ian has done a wonderful job of keeping my feet firmly placed on the ground throughout the campaign, frequently reminding us all of the scale of the task. For him, "not looking too bad" comes close to exuberance! I walked through to the counting area, where a row of Tories, including my opponent and her husband, had taken every seat at the counting tables. Piles were building up nicely in the trays, and I noted a significant chunk going into the UKIP tray. In previous elections, a strong UKIP vote had been at the expense of the Conservatives, so I wondered if this might be a factor here. As the counting staff began "bundling" the votes into 100s, my opponent left the table, soon followed by her Conservative chums. Cllr Ian Martin leant over to me. "If you hit 950, Dom [our election agent] reckons you've got it," he said, "and I think there's over 1000 there." The counter looked up from her work at us, and nodded.

The final result was that I had polled 1022 votes, to the Conservatives' 742. A majority of 280 and far beyond anything we had expected. Even if all of the 240 UKIP votes had gone to the Tories, Labour still would have won. Furthermore, turnout across the ward as a whole was the highest in Exeter, and higher than most recent elections here, at 43.34%. 

I was hugely helped by the fact that there were no elections in Mincinglake this year, which meant that my Labour branch (Mincinglake & Pinhoe) were able to focus solely on my campaign. I had the most incredible team behind me, and everybody played a part. I remember shortly after my selection being nervous as I was introduced to local party "matriarchs" Cllr Saxon Spence and former Cllr Val Dixon. What they do not know about Pinhoe and its political make-up is not worth knowing. Every so often I would informed by one or other of them that there was a library meeting, a coffee morning, a play that "it would do you no harm to be at" - so I quickly met community leaders and activists, and started to become known. Cllr Moira MacDonald showed me a few areas in the ward where she had been particularly busy with casework, and together with Cllrs Ian Martin, Catherine Dawson & Rosie Denham gave me some useful introductions to life within Exeter City Council.

Rose Gander has the gift of administration. What an organiser! Rose worked tirelessly on timetables, rotas and lists of actions, emailing instructions and timelines to every member of the team so everyone knew what they needed to be doing. She was a regular link with Dom, our local party organiser, who was joined later in the campaign by his predecessor Eddie Lopez. Dom and Eddie have a very effective good cop / bad cop double act. Dom will not let any complacency or laziness creep in, not even for a moment, and would regularly email round graphs of which ward teams were performing best at contacting their voters and securing promises of votes. Whenever I asked Dom how it was looking, I got the same answer, "It's going to be tough." His direction and advice ensured we all stayed working to the last minute. Eddie has seen it all before, and in the run-up to election day he was a relaxed presence in HQ, smiling and staying positive while providing intense analysis with Dom of the latest indicators; and I shall always remember him whistling "The Internationale" as he went off to the kitchen to make me a cup of tea while I was phone canvassing.

My delivery team, co-ordinated by Rose, were stars. Geoff who single-handedly delivered for me in Monkerton throughout the campaign was incredible, as were Gareth & Angie who drummed up support on the Summerway estate. The whole ward was often covered in under a week. My canvassing team included some "wise heads" in Peter, Dereen and Ted but were joined by local Labour student Kit. Other local councillors came to help including Tony Wardle, Greg Sheldon and our Council Leader Pete Edwards. Several times I was also joined by local MP Ben Bradshaw and his team. Des would input the canvassing data, and Dom would then give us a strategic steer based on what that data was telling us. On election day, we had teams of "tellers" collecting voter stats at  the polling stations, and this included Susan who did several stints and was also featured in the election address leaflet together with Val as my endorsers. Last, but yesterday was by no means least was, Julia who played "hostess" in the committee room keeping the team fed and watered every time we checked in. Julia had also acted as something of an "intelligence officer", often scanning and emailing the latest Tory leaflets, so we knew what tactics they were seeking to use in their campaign. I know there were many others who phoned, knocked, delivered, stuffed envelopes... it was a huge, huge team effort, and I would not have won without them. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to support me.

Thank you too, to the voters of Pinhoe. We know turnout was low in the areas that most traditionally vote Labour in the ward, which means significant numbers of people voted for me in Pinhoe village - possibly against their usual voting patterns. I am under no illusion that trust has been invested in me by people who are "giving me a chance", and who will see what I can do for them. I acknowledge that responsibility, and will work hard for - and be accountable to - my residents. I am only too pleased however that I do not undertake that task alone, but do so as part of a unified Labour team of two Labour City Councillors, a Labour County Councillor and a Labour MP. I look forward to working for and with you.

Entering the Final Strait... How the Labour Campaign Works

It will not be too long now before we know the results of Exeter's City Council elections. In 4 days' time the city will be waking up to find out who has won seats in which wards and - perhaps more importantly - whether Exeter Labour Party now has the necessary majority and mandate to deliver its bold manifesto to keep the city "prosperous and pleasant". So we enter the last few frenetic days of campaigning as the five parties (and one independent candidate) contesting wards across Exeter try to pick up those last precious votes, and to convert as yet undecided voters to a positive vote for them. 


As for the campaign in Pinhoe, we have pretty much contacted everyone on our lists now. Naturally, there have been one or two households in each street where no one has been in when we have called, but every area has been canvassed at least twice, so most people have spoken to me or my team. Now, you may have heard some say, "I haven't seen anyone", and that may well be true. You see, "our lists" are not the same as the electoral roll. There is something of a science behind a Labour election operation. You may not be familiar with it, and may not understand why some things (for instance being asked by someone sporting a red rosette at the polling station for your voter number as you leave) play a part in our operation. This post seeks to explain how we work, and why your answers to us can help us win.


How do you know who to call on? Our Voter ID system shows us who our supporters (and likely supporters) are. The list is made up of people who have told us that they have previously supported Labour. They may have told us at a previous election, told some of our central Party telephone canvassers between elections, they may be Party members who have moved into the area, or may have told a councillor or our MP their allegiances when we have worked on an issue for them. Voter ID shows us a person's name, address, electoral roll number and those for others living in their household, and also whether or not the voter has a postal vote. Where the data exists, it tells us how the elector has voted over the past 5 elections. It can tell us who voted for us locally and nationally, who voted against us and which parties (when they have told us)  they voted for instead. It also tells us who has not voted, those who right up to previous elections were still undecided, and those who wouldn't say one way or the other. Some Voter ID entries include a household's telephone number. This is useful so we can call on the phone when the weather has been too bad to go out knocking on doors.


I'm regularly called on by Labour. Why is that? It means that we have you down as a current or previous Labour supporter, or down as someone who hasn't firmly made up your mind who to support. So, we think it is a good use of our time to call on you, discuss the current issues that you will be voting on, and make sure you know where we stand on those issues. If you confirm that we have your support, we will mark you down as a supporter, and the next step for us is to make sure that you remember to vote on polling day itself. If you remain a "don't know" on our list, chances are you will be called on again and again up to polling day!

There are some doors that, as a Labour activist, there is
little point knocking on...!

I never seem to be called on by Labour. Why not? It means that we have previously recorded that you vote against us, and / or are clearly identified with another party, or have previously requested that we do not call again. For instance, when called on you may have told us that you would never vote Labour, or that your voting record shows you have always voted Conservative. Statistically, there is not much point wasting our time calling on someone who has clearly "nailed their colours to the mast" of the Tory party. So we leave you to it, and call only on those we feel could be won over. Early in the campaign, we may have called on people who we know voted against us at the last election (2010), if we also know that prior to that they have voted Labour at some point. However, the closer we come to polling day, the less likely we are to call on "againsts". Firstly, it may remind people to go out and vote against Labour, and secondly it is just not a good use of limited time. Our data this year shows that people who have previously voted against us, when called on switch to Labour at a rate of around 10%. By contrast, "don't knows" are switching at a rate around 60%. However, every house will have received our election material, including our main manifesto leaflet.

"Tellers" are strategically essential to the local operation

Who are the people sat outside the Polling Station, and why do they want to know my voter number on the electoral roll? Often each major party will have someone sat outside the polling station asking you for your number as you leave. These people are called "tellers" and are local volunteers from the party. What is important for Labour is that if you have told us during the campaign that you will be supporting us, you tell us when you have voted so we can tick you off our "promise" list. All through polling day, we have teams of other volunteers calling on the people who promised to support us to remind them to vote. (This is called "knocking-up"!) Once we know that you have voted, our tellers can cross you off the list, and you won't be called on again. You don't have to tell us your roll number when you vote, but if we don't know that you have voted, you are likely to keep getting nagged through the day!

Why crunch all these numbers? Why not just campaign and see what the result is on the day? Some wards are "safer" - demographically and historically they have tended to return Labour councillors again and again. We know that in most local elections, turnout tends to be 35 - 50%. Therefore, it is possible to estimate - from what people tell us on the day - when we have "crossed the finish line" in those wards. Once we know that, we can release some of the volunteers working in those wards to help us in others where the race is closer. Then in those wards, we can also use the data to broadly predict how many more votes we would need to win the seat. By using the list of people who told us they would support us, and cross-referencing it with the list of who have actually voted so far on the day, we know how many more people we need to "knock-up" - to urge to go and vote to secure the seat. This enables us to use our volunteers across the city more efficiently on the day. In 2010, Labour won the Pinhoe seat by just 4 votes, so "knocking-up" can be all-important in some seats. Persuading just one more household to go out and vote at 9.55pm could make all the difference between winning and losing!


So, if you have promised us your support, thank you, and please don't forget to go out and vote on the day. Let our teller know who you are on the way in to the polling station and you will be left alone for the remainder of the day. Pinhoe is never going to be a "safe" Labour seat - the deomgraphy and history here shows that it will always swing between Conservative & Labour. So, while our data is very encouraging, while national polls give Labour a poll lead of between 9 and 13%, while there are signs that even firm Tories are drifting away to UKIP or intending not to vote at all, my team and I are taking nothing for granted and will be working incredibly hard up to and all through Thursday.


Make no mistake, Pinhoe will be a close race, and every vote will count. YOUR vote will count. Please vote for change, vote to send a signal to the national Tory party that their policies are not working, but are hurting families and communities. 

This Thursday

Tory Porkies 3: New Depths

My good friend Roger Allen.
Tory. But I don't hold that against him!

I have a confession to make. I have friends who are Conservatives. Don't get me wrong, I think they are very much mistaken politically, but they are generally good people, and I enjoy their company. Some I have even clashed robustly with in the council chamber, but I respect them. I believe their core beliefs (however erroneous) are sincerely held, and argued with some measure of integrity. Cllr Pete Chapman, Cllr Michael Goodman, former Councillors Nigel Reed and my good friend Roger Allen (all from my previous council in Dorset) fall into that category. Last week, I debated with Exeter Tory Cllr James Taghdissian in the Central Library. He argued for a living wage for workers. And free public transport. Hard to argue against those.

But this week, in my opinion, some of the small group of Tories active in the local campaign sank to new depths. One never expects an entirely clean fight from the Tories, and even more so at a time when they have very little going for them nationally, but to attempt to deceive and mislead the electorate, again and again, is contemptible. When the Tories first knew I had the audacity to stand against their candidate in "their" seat, they began to attack me. A theme throughout was that I was "parachuted in"... Ed Miliband's Import Ò, as they would have it. Never mind the fact that I have been working in Exeter in the charity and community sector for 6 years, or that I moved to Exeter more than 3 years ago. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story, as they say.

When these Tory Porkies didn't have the desired impact, those classy Conservatives tried a new tack. My Tory friends in Dorset (where I had been a Councillor for 8 years) were contacted by Exeter's Tories. Did they have any "useful information" on me? Nice. They could have tried debating the issues. Winning the argument. Going head-to-head on who was best placed to represent Pinhoe and to bring more prosperity and quality to Exeter. But no. They were after "dirt".

Most commentators predict more gains for Labour
in Exeter this May, giving the Party outright control

Exeter Conservatives are worried. Labour needs just 2 more seats to take overall control of Exeter Council, and at a time when they would like to be trying to block this Labour ascension, they are livid that they are having to fight so hard to defend seats that they already hold: Polsloe and Pinhoe. I believe that as a result of a poor strategy and their arrogance in wanting to defend their own councillors above all else, Exeter will be a fully-functioning Labour administration on May 4th. Whatever individual battles Exeter Tories may win, they are about to lose the war.

In Pinhoe, they are desperate. At the last election, despite it being 2010 when the coalition government was still in its honeymoon period and Labour still widely disliked, Pinhoe elected a Labour councillor. Most recently, the Tories have taken to putting out a leaflet from Cllr Cynthia Thompson that does not carry ANY Conservative branding. Why? What are they afraid of? Or, what are they ashamed of?

Under pressure: Exeter Tories, like Cameron, are feeling
the strain

At the first sign of a failing Tory national government, Exeter Tories drop their association with national Conservatism. they know that their government is deeply unpopular. They know that NHS reform, millionaires' tax cuts, Granny tax, pasty tax, fuel strike chaos, police cuts, rising crime, high unemployment, a Home Secretary who doesn't even know what day of the week it is, and now a Culture Secretary "in bed" with the Murdochs does not reflect well. So much so, Cllr Thompson's newsletter practically BEGS people not to vote on national issues. "You cannot change the government," she wrote, "or affect what is happening nationally..." This is a Tory Porkie, as we have seen before. 

This leaflet made its way into homes around the Whipton area last weekend, deliveries supported by imported volunteers (ironic, I know) from Conservative Associations in East Devon and Torbay. 

Proud of MY Party. Out in Pinhoe with Ben and
former councillor Val Dixon

Last night was calling on the doors of Summerway, and went to call on Mr & Mrs E. As Mr E  opened the door, he was wearing a Welsh rugby shirt - always a good sign when you're a Labour candidate! Yet as I introduced myself he looked at me with some coolness and bemusement. When I had finished, he said "You're the one that lives in Weymouth, are you?"
"No, " I replied, "I live in Exeter. I moved here over 3 years ago. I've been working in the charity sector in Exeter for over 6 years." I was beginning to smell a rat.
"I had your opponents here at the weekend," he said, "They said how could you do anything for us when you live in Weymouth?"
"They said I am living in Weymouth now?" I wanted to clarify this. I could barely believe what I was hearing.
"Yes," he re-asserted. 


Fortunately, I was able to set the record straight, and Mr E was livid that he had been misled. "You ought to go after her for that," said Mr Evans, "that's not right saying stuff like that. They should be ashamed."
Indeed.
When I asked others in Summerway, and later Warwick Way, they confirmed they had been told the same thing.
How sad. 

Labour councillors keep things positive and
get things done.

On the plus side, I think most people see through all this. Local residents have spoken to me and my team and have commented on our Election Address leaflets, praising Exeter Labour for keeping away from negative campaigning and personal attacks. We campaign on what we have done, and can do. What we can achieve with and for people for their communities, not attacking others. 


We know, and demonstrate, that councillors need to be community leaders - and that means modelling the standards that local voters expect. Telling the truth, surely, is one of the most important of those standards.

On May 3rd